Everyone is Fine
by JennaSPN
Summary: Astrid pushed her way through the crowd. It wasn't difficult. Everyone seemed rooted to the spot. Quiet and still in a way that Vikings never were. She had felt the heat of the explosion on her face, seen him fall into the flames, and then nothing. My take on the events ensuing the Red Death, and Hiccup losing his leg. (hiccstrid and canon)
1. preface

_A/N: _Hi all! If you are new to this story I would just like to let you know that I have started writing another draft on my account. Truthfully, when I started this, I had the roots of what I wanted to express but didn't have a clear idea of how I wanted to do that, so I just started writing and kind of publishing as I went, essentially providing you with somewhat of a rough draft for a larger concept. WELL, now I know how I want to express this story, and I've started re-writing it (rather differently I might add) and I think it is far stronger and far more compelling and I really hope that those of you that have started following this story here will go and check out this updated version. I have a clearer plan and idea, and voice really, so there I will be updating with much more regularity! I don't want to delete this version quite yet so I am leaving it up, but I do hope to see you on this updated version, and I hope to hear your feedback!

Thanks so much!

_Preface_

Astrid pushed her way through the crowd. It wasn't difficult. Everyone seemed rooted to the spot. Quiet, and still in a way that Vikings never were. She had felt the heat of the explosion on her face, seen him fall into the flames, and then nothing. She had screamed his name, her vocal chords burning from the smoke, but the sound of her voice was drowned by the rest of the chaos. He couldn't be dead. He was Hiccup, and that was reason enough.

She fumbled past Gobber and came to a halt. She saw Stoick now, his head bowed, kneeling by Toothless, who lay motionless on the ground. Bits of burnt ash fell down on them like snow. Astrid felt her heart descend into her stomach and her knees nearly buckled. Hiccups face flickered behind her eyelids, accompanied by words she would never get to say.

And then it happened. Toothless stirred and retracted his wings to reveal a boy, stored gently beneath his paws. The shock of it hit her like a lightning bolt. She could see Stoick cradling him now, listening carefully for a heartbeat and then—"_HE'S ALIVE!"_

It was as though a veil had been lifted from the onlookers. Astrid's eyes stung with relief as the other Vikings cheered and clapped each other on the back. But something was still not quite right, as Stoic's expression remained to be one of urgency.

Turning to face them, Stoick's eyes scanned the crowd until they fell upon Astrid. He gestured for her to come forward, Hiccup still in his arms. Confused and grateful, Astrid closed the gap between them, adrenaline coursing through her body.

For the umpteenth time that day, her heart seized in her chest. Hiccup's leg was gone. A clean cut below the knee. By the looks of it, it had been partially cauterized from the flames, but blood continued to spread into the fabric of his trousers. Gobber was working away, wrapping the leg with bits of cloth to fashion a makeshift tourniquet.

"What can I do?" said Astrid, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I need you to fly him back to Berk on your dragon." replied Stoick, "You're the best rider for the job and he needs Gothi now. I fear the ships will take too long."

She knew what he meant. He was alive for now but they weren't out of the water yet. Astrid could feel her focus and determination returning. Thor knew she wouldn't let Hiccup bleed to death on her watch.

"You got it, Chief," she said, with a resolution that she hoped inspired confidence.

Toothless let out a coo of despair and fluttered his wings as though to say he was up for the job as well.

"You're hurt too, Toothless," said Astrid quietly, placing her hand on his nose. "You need to rest." Toothless wailed in protest and nudged Hiccup's cheek as though requesting backup for this particular argument.

"I'll take good care of him," said Astrid, stroking Toothless' back. "I promise, Stormfly and I have got this."

"You saved him Toothless," said Stoic, with a kind of gentleness that Astrid had rarely seen from the chief—so much so that Toothless submitted with a slight bow of his head before licking Hiccups face.

Stoick looked at Astrid with such intent that she resisted the urge to look away. "We'll be right behind you. We should be back by sunrise. Take care of my son, Astrid."

"I will, Chief," she replied, knowing that she would sooner die than let anything happen to the boy that had risked his life for all of them.


	2. flight

Astrid leaned over Hiccup and pulled him in closer, so that his head slumped gently on the crook of her neck. He was harnessed into Stormfly's saddle, and onto her own belt—yet the fear that he'd slip off her dragon and fall through the clouds was ever-growing.

Every so often, evidentially sensing her rider's anxiety, the Nadder would look back at Astrid and let out a reassuring trill, as though to say _I'll get us home._ This of course, was precisely what Astrid needed, because for once, her dragon did not hold her undivided attention. Instead, Astrid's thoughts shifted rapidly, one overtaking the other, as though in competition.

Having been up in the air for a considerable amount of time now, (how long exactly, she couldn't say) Astrid noticed that some of the adrenaline from earlier that had kept her mind singularly occupied, was starting to fade. Details from the aftermath that had barely registered in her periphery then, barrelled through her consciousness now; Stoick pacing restlessly as they secured Hiccup in her saddle, as though wrestling with every primal fatherly instinct in order to separate from his injured son. Gobber doing his utmost to keep his tone light and relaxed, despite a worry in his eyes he could not conceal. Snotlout asking question after question, demonstrating more concern than she'd ever seen in him before. The twins, staring and solemn and quiet, and Fishlegs spewing suggestions about ways to increase the likelihood of Hiccup surviving the whole ordeal.

_Fishlegs._ She's almost forgot about him. Craning her neck without jostling Hiccup to the best of her ability, she squinted behind her and made out Fishlegs' and Meatlug's shape. Stormfly was faster than the Gronckle of course, but it was comforting to know they were close by should anything go south.

Astrid felt Hiccup stir slightly and her heart nearly stopped. She prayed to Thor that this was not the moment in which he'd wake up, and thankfully, after a few moments, he'd settled. She was not prepared to deal with his inevitable pain this high up in the air—and alone, for that matter. She braved a look at his leg and saw that the makeshift bandage had turned a light pink. Though she was not a particularly squeamish person, the glimpse she'd had of that hard whiteness, his agonized flesh, made a chill go up her spine.

His breathing was even against her, which she took as a good sign, but the heat issuing from his face provided a stark contrast to the sharp bite of the icy air. _Hang on Hiccup, _she thought, as she watched Stormfly's wings beating through the mist of clouds.

AN: this is a multi chapter story! sorry to keep some of you waiting. reviews are a motivator to update faster ;)


	3. an understanding

When the outskirts of Berk finally appeared beneath the clouds, Astrid nearly yelled out in relief, and alerted Stormfly to prepare for landing.

She did her best to guide the dragon towards Gothi's little cabin, which, similarly to the Haddock household, was fairly central on the island. To her credit, Stormfly seemed to understand Astrid's modest navigational attempts, and dove down when they approached the cabin overhead.

Astrid clung to Hiccup tightly as the earth tilted before her, and when they landed, more softly than she anticipated, she was surprised to find Gothi already standing in the doorway, concern in her eyes. It was as though someone had tipped her off, but of course no one had—Gothi just seemed to have a sense for these kinds of things

"Gothi!" Astrid exclaimed, a little breathless, as she slid off of Stormfly while still supporting Hiccup's back. "I need your help! It's Hiccup's leg—he's—well—he's lost it," she finished lamely.

Gothi waved her hands, effectively silencing her before she could say anything else, and scurried into her cabin, waving Astrid over.

With Stormfly's help (the Nadder had tilted her body to ease Hiccup into Astrid's arms), Astrid was able carry Hiccup through Gothi's threshold.

_Gods, was he heavier than he looked, or was she just tired? _Rather darkly, she wondered if his weight had changed much now, with a third of his leg missing.

Inside, Gothi led Astrid into the room where she'd treat her patients—Astrid had been there once before with a bad case of the Eel pox—and gestured at Astrid to put Hiccup down on a flat, wooden bed that stood about an inch above Astrid's knee, and occupied the centre of the space.

This was certainly Gothi's work station, that much Astrid knew for sure. Aside from the bed, and a few stools littered about the place, there were shelves upon shelves of concoctions and creams and supplies. There were plants and herbs and a thousand different smells that hit Astrid any time she moved in any direction. Some were pleasant—citrusy and light and the kind of thing you'd imagine a person would want to smell if they were feeling ill. Others, made Astrid cough violently and wipe tears from her eyes.

Astrid hovered awkwardly over Gothi, but didn't care enough to move, instead choosing to watch the elder examine Hiccup. She watched Gothi press two fingers against Hiccup's neck to feel for his pulse, and then rest her head on the boy's chest to listen to his breathing. Seemingly satisfied with both, Gothi moved onto the leg and Astrid could hear her tut.

Without undoing the tourniquet, no doubt wary of the potential blood loss, Gothi started assembling more supplies by Hiccup's beside. Suture thread, bandages, salve, whisky—Astrid couldn't catch it all under the elder's nimble fingertips.

Astrid was so hypnotized by the bustle that she nearly yelped when Gothi's bony arms suddenly pushed her down into a stool by Hiccup's bedside, and handed her a goblet of water. She drank it gratefully and thanked the elder.

The water was a godsend. She hadn't realized how parched she'd been until the liquid touched her lips, and her throat took over greedily, gulping it down in a matter of seconds. Gothi poured her some more. Astrid felt a surge of energy rekindling in her gut.

Just then, Fishlegs burst inside.

"Astrid?" he yelled, before catching a glimpse of her from the doorway and barrelling into the room they were in.

"Sorry Gothi!" he added immediately as an afterthought, before looking to Hiccup with wide eyes.

"How's he doing? Is he alive? Is his leg still bleeding? Oh Thor."

Gothi took one, slightly exasperated look at Fishlegs' pale face, and scurried to her shelves once again in order to scribble something onto parchment.

"Breathe, Fishlegs," Astrid instructed, as though she had been managing to do so seamlessly herself. "He's alive, he's breathing, and Gothi's about to get to work on his leg," she continued.

Fishlegs let out an audible sigh of relief while Gothi approached him to hand him the piece of parchment.

Fishleg's squinted. "You need–white willow bark?" Gothi nodded, while handing him a goblet of water as well. He drank it with the same vigour as Astrid had done. "I'm on it. My mom's got while willow bark for sure."

With a quick nod to Astrid, and a lingering look at Hiccup, he ran out the door a little more elegantly than he'd entered it, and Astrid stared at Gothi suspiciously.

"But—I thought I saw—"

Gothi gave her a wink and Astrid understood—though the sight of an elder winking at her was one she'd unlikely forget. Keeping Fishlegs busy was what he needed. What Astrid needed was to be here. With Hiccup. Tentatively she reached out and held his hand, drawing circles on his knuckles with her thumb, the way her mother had done with her when she was hurting.

Gothi walked to Astrid and looking thoroughly apologetic, motioned for her to stand up. She then proceeded to take Astrid's hands and place them onto Hiccup's shoulders. A little confused, Astrid watched Gothi gesture to Hiccup's leg, and then the whisky.

Then it clicked. Astrid understood. Gothi was going to disinfect his wound, and it was going to hurt Hiccup. It was going to hurt him so much that he might wake up, and that he might try and move and risk hurting himself further. Astrid had to keep him still if that happened.

She understood, and nodded to Gothi.

* * *

AN: told you reviews make me go faster ;)


	4. Everyone's Fine

Astrid focused determinedly on Hiccup's face while Gothi unwrapped the tourniquet, choosing to count his freckles instead of looking at his leg. Every time she caught sight of his incomplete limb, the lack of gangly calf she was accustomed to teasing, her heart would begin to race so quickly that she thought it might burst. So freckles were better. Freckles were familiar.

Of course, registering the small movements of his face made her heart race just as badly, and so Astrid resigned herself to taking deep and steady breaths so as not to accidentally pass out and become a hinderance to Gothi instead of a help.

Though Hiccup was still decidedly unconscious, his face did not look peaceful. It look pained, and his eyebrows jerked as Gothi handled his leg. In a way, this sign of life provided some momentary comfort until it didn't. Until the whiskey touched his serrated skin.

For a fraction of a second, his eyes snapped open, green looking right into Astrid's blue before squeezing shut again, his face now contorted in pain.

His back arched against the table and he tried to struggle against Astrid who was doing her best to restrain him.

"Hiccup, HICCUP! Please—stay still!" she managed, holding him firmly by the shoulders.

He stopped fighting and blinked up at her, his eyes clouded and unfocused. "Astrid?" Tears were streaming down his face. "What's—" His words were cut off by what appeared to be another intense wave of pain as Gothi continued to disinfect his wound. He groaned and writhed underneath Astrid's palms, his own fists clenching desperately against the edges of the bed.

"Yes, it's me Hiccup. I know it—it hurts, but this'll be the worst of it. Just try to breathe through it okay? I'm right here, and Gothi's going to fix up your leg, and you'll be okay."

Hiccup took a deep shuddering breath in response, and Astrid stroked his hair, sensing that she no longer had to restrain him.

"Toothless? Dad?" he croaked.

"They're both fine. Everyone's fine. Better than fine. You saved everyone."

Her voice caught in her throat and she hoped that he could sense her gratitude despite the state he was in. Her gratitude along with her pride, her remorse, her own self-reproach. Astrid had always been good at handling her feelings, one at a time. She could compartmentalize, and rationalize, and most of all she could focus no matter what. But this—this was overwhelming. Everything had changed—everything, because of Hiccup, and he likely didn't know it yet.

"Everyone's fine," he repeated quietly, as though to himself. She could feel some of the tension leave his body.

She watched him breathe deeply, his eyes closed and his face coated in a layer of sweat. He was a mess of blood and bruises and dirt, and his tears had left thin streaks down the sides of his face.

Despite all of this, Astrid leaned down and kissed his forehead because his care for everyone's safety was so disarming and just _so Hiccup_ that she couldn't help herself.

"m'dreaming," came his reply.

"Not dreaming," she reassured.

"Well thank you then—m'lady," he whispered, trailing off, the smallest hint of a smile playing on his lips before slipping back into unconsciousness.

Eyes burning, Astrid blinked rapidly and allowed a few of her own tears to fall into Hiccup's hair. She was grateful that he'd fallen unconscious before Gothi has started cutting away at pieces of burnt skin. The adrenaline from his wakefulness had left her body shaking.

Through the window she could see that the sun was starting to set, as well as the distant figure of Fishlegs running back toward Gothi's cottage. Astrid knew that the night was going to be long and painful, and that Hiccup was not out of the water yet. Not even close.


	5. Author's Note

Hi all! Thank you so much to those who have been following this story and I apologize for disappearing. Truthfully, when I started this, I had the roots of what I wanted to express but didn't have a clear idea of how I wanted to do that, so I just started writing and kind of publishing as I went, essentially providing you with somewhat of a rough draft for a larger concept. WELL, now I know how I want to express this story, and I've started re-writing it (rather differently I might add) and I think it is far stronger and far more compelling and I really hope that those of you that have started following this story here will go and check out this updated version. I have a clearer plan and idea, and voice really, so there I will be updating with much more regularity! I don't want to delete this version quite yet so I am leaving it up, but I do hope to see you on this updated version, and I hope to hear your feedback!

Thanks so much!


End file.
